Red throated diver (Gavia stellata)

Posted by Swissblad on Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:31 am

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This trip to Scandinavia really was focussed on birds...especially those breeding in the icy northern environment. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much luck getting close enough to any divers to get any decent photos. We found this red throated diver or red throated loon in US/Canada, on a frozen lake high in the mountainous fjell in the Varanger peninsula. As it was so distant, I tried to take a photo showing the bird in its frozen environment.
I enhanced the icy feel, adding a cold blue tint with Nik ColorEfex. Additional touches were made in PS.

Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm f5.6PF.

PS. While travelling through the Pasvik area, on the border with Russia, we were thrilled to hear the weird call of this bird makes during mating season - eerie and unreal: https://youtu.be/Mf7qfg0ljfo

Last edited by Swissblad on Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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by david fletcher on Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:55 am

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Remarkable sighting, composition and sympathetic treatment. Nicely done and thought out.

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by Carol Clarke on Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:03 am

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I love your thinking with this one and its minimalist feel, and yes, their call is quite haunting in its beauty. Is it just an optical illusion, or is the image tilted subtly down to the right? I keep wanting to give this frame a slight CCW rotation to level it with those highlights on the water/ice surface.

Carol.

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by Cynthia Crawford on Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:03 pm

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Nice idea to show the harsh environment here-sure looks formidable! This long arrows of ice seem to be darts aimed at the bird. Might look good as a pano with a top crop too. Agree with Carol...want to straighten. But the idea is well conveyed.

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by Swissblad on Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:17 pm

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Carol Clarke wrote:I love your thinking with this one and its minimalist feel, and yes, their call is quite haunting in its beauty. Is it just an optical illusion, or is the image tilted subtly down to the right? I keep wanting to give this frame a slight CCW rotation to level it with those highlights on the water/ice surface.

Carol.

thanks all for the kind comments - and - well spotted Carol - looks much better straightened